Wood can be converted to thermoplastic material by means of chemical modification such as esterification and etherification.The performance of wood products can be improved through esterification and etherification.With proper chemical treatments,wood flakes and fibers could possibly produce self-bonded flakeboard,fiberboard,and other products without any additional adhesive.Thermoplasticization of wood by chemical modification provides a new innovative process to for the utilization of wood.In this paper,the main methods for the esterification and etherification of wood,the mechanism of plasticization,and the performance and utilization of thermoplastic wood are reviewed.The limitations and future trends for thermoplastic wood development are also presented.